Bull

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3 out of 5 stars

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(17)

3 out of 5 stars

About

3 out of 5 stars

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First impressions would suggest the Bull is just another suburban gastropub, in a very nice part of Highgate. But look closer and you’ll spot much enamelled beer memorabilia on all the walls, and garlands of hop flowers on the beams. You might catch a glimpse of the Willy Wonka tubing and brass vats of the brewing equipment. An inspection of the beer taps will reveal almost nothing recognisable from the average high street chain pub. And when you discover that the landlord Dan Fox was for years manager of the White Horse in Parson’s Green, it becomes clear that this pub holds beer in extremely high esteem.

Five of the pumps dispense the fine products of the London Brewing Company, made on the premises – a zesty raspberry wheat beer, say, or the Beer Street best bitter. A merry evening could easily be whiled away with these alone, but keg fonts advertise the likes of Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Veltins Pils, and the well laid-out beer list isn’t the longest in town, but wins over with its descriptions. On offer are several unusual imports from Great Divide and Odell in the US, as well as cans from Kona and Ashland.

We hired the whole establishment for our son's wedding on a sunny Friday, July 12, 2013.
It was just superb, not one dissonant: when the about 150 guests, coming from over 15 countries (a.o. UK, Belgium, Israël, Australia, Poland, China, Turkey, Spain, Italy...) arrived they where welcomed with bubbles, Pimm's and fine canapées.
After we had a buffet of starters, main course buffet and wide choice of desert and English cheeses. All menu inspired in fact on typical English food. Even the 25 Belgian connaissers liked it very much.
Dan and his 18 people staff did the utmost to make this day unforgettable and to create a warm atmospere and they succeeded wonderful!!!
I can only recommend this establishment with whole my heart.

We have been coming for a while and have recommended it to friends. The beer is good, the wine not so and the food although pricy for what it is, is reasonable. However I can no longer recommend this place as the owner is very rude. I have now witnessed on my last two visits awfull customer service. Firstly the way in which he treats his staff, but even more so the way in which he treats his customers. I witnessed him throwing out a customer for opening a door to allow fresh air to their children. He made a un-neccassary scene which was very uncomfortable to be near. It really spoilt our visit and his arrogant and rude attitute did not improve for the remainder of our visit. As this is two visits in a row, I will not be returning and I cannot reccomend this place as there are several better alternatives available within walking distance. Please avoid.

Awsome food! I live ine ast london and have made my way out here a number of times just for this pub. The beer selection is huge, and the knowledgable staff are on hand to talk you thru it. They brew their own stuff as well, which is pretty good and is constantly changing. I was here last halloween when they made a pumpkin beer which gets served in a pumpkin with a tap poked into it. Brilliant. Great atmosphere and outside space as well! Keep it up!

Good Highgate pub, worth the walk up the hill. They make their own beer on site which is about 3 quid, great price for this area of London. Great food, we had to wait a bit as it was nearly 9pm on a Saturday night, but the waitress gave us some free olives to say sorry.
Really good night had by all in the group.

Rude staff and appalling service.
Waited 15 minutes to get a drink so went up to the bar and ordered my self, i asked the guy if it was ok to come to the bar to get served and he sarcastically replied it's a pub you can if you want, then after another 20 minutes of sitting at our table we still had seen no member of staff to take our order. This is a classic case of the staff thinking they are more important than the customers.

Avoid.
Me and my husband eat here allot. We come for the good food and the excellent choice of beer, especially the Hawaiian beers which are well worth a try. The food is always good and the specials are always diverse and changing. When we brought our children they where well look after with crayons and an excellent child's menu. However, though the food and drink is sublime I strongly recommend avoiding. Go if you want to watch the management belittle, ridicule and bully the waiters and bar team. The rude comments, the barked orders and the uncouth manner in which the pub was run has put us off. The sheer magnitude of unprofessionalism was enough to make us feel uncomfortable and sorry for the poor staff that served with a smile and got harassed at every turn. Clearly the management had no issues in swearing at a member of his team in front of the customers, Reading the comments we are not alone in this belief. It's a real shame we dine here often but after a particular ugly experience, which was not the food or the drink but the management being unpleasant, has put us off. This was not the first occasion it was the last straw for us.
So if you like food and good beer go but be prepared to witness rudeness and crassness which is unforgivable and off putting.
You think I am over exaggerating? Go and witness it for yourself. It really is shocking.

Great pub with a mixture of chair and couch seating (always important for me). Their Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn are both reliable on tap, and are both fantastic beers. Brooklyn on draught I see in more and more pubs around London but not so much Sierra Nevada. They have a rotating range of other lagers and ales that the staff are ever eager to tap out a taste of for you - they want to introduce you to it and also want to hear your thoughts once you've taken a sip. The only rider is that not all the staff (in my four times of being there) have been as knowledgable, although the senior ones do seem to be.

We have waited long in Highgate for a place like this. Have been three times, ladies lunch and two dinners and not been disappointed. Good food, interesting beer, decor right, and pleasant ambience, all without pretentiousness and ridiculous prices. I am surprised by your 3 star rating, which I think is on the low side. Can you up it, because I want the Bull to be the success it deserves to be and that Highgate needs?

Great pub and great atmosphere! It was completely full when I first visited a few saturdays ago and it was really buzzing, I have been through the week and its a bit more quiet but at least we could get a seat (we got the last ones on the first visit). Food on first visit was 140% brilliant from starter to main although I had a small complaint about the desert I gave this pub a 5 as the way it was dealt with was fantastic. I didnt eat on the 2nd visit, just went for a beer or two with some friends who also loved the place. AMAZING beer! I went on Wednesday for my 3rd visit and they seem to be doing a 'Wings' deal on Wednesdays which was great value (cant remember the actual price but I remember wondering why I would ever be at home now on a Wednesday as the wings are second only to those found in some bars in the states! Did I mention the great beer? Having read the comments below I also disagree with the star - perhaps time out should go back now their beer is ready, I really think it is one of the things that makes it. I think had I not complained about my desert (a small matter really) I think I would have given it a 4 but it really gave me chance to put their seemingly 'shiny' service through the acid test and they really delivered.

I can proudly say that this will be our new local. Approachable and attentive staff. Very clean. Good-natured atmosphere. Beer selection is diverse, rather than ridiculously numerous, offering something for the beer geeks without overwhelming the uninitiated. Very much looking forward to trying the food next week and to seeing what wonders emerge from the microbrewery on site! I'm in full agreement with Billy on the ratings front.

Time Out- you got the review totally right but the star rating wrong! I give them 5. Warm and knowledgeable staff, great beer variety (if you are bored with every other pub's usuals...), fantastic food and overall great atmosphere. A real gem and a very welcomed addition to Highgate... agree with an earlier post that the other pubs up here have gone downhill and there really aren't any other places to enjoy real fine food. An original concept, brilliant!

Went there on Sunday - the beer was really excellent. Didn't have lunch there this week, but intend going back next week as it looked really good value. Welcome addition to the area as a lot of the other pubs have gone downhill.

Came for a drink, stayed for food!
Thanks to a beer geek boyfriend, I have been dragged round plenty of the aforementioned alehouse in London and can confirm this is a heavy weight contender. Excellent selection of beers on tap (some friends made it their responsibility to try all the local brew ones- easily down with prices as low as £2.80 for a pint) whilst I enjoyed some of the bottled beers.
Ended up eating there and can highly recommend trying the beer recommended with the dishes; all worked really well.
I was in a group of 9 people and every loved their meals including the one strict veggie- there was only one option on the main menu (apparently the dailies will reflect more choice for veggies) but she said it was fantastic (although felt the mash potato offered instead of the salad should have been a standard part of the meal).
All in all, we had a very enjoyable day/evening there and will be returning again to try their own beers.

I came here with a few of my friends over the weekend. I was really impressed with the decor and the whole feel of the place. The selection of drinks was excellent, and the food was even better. The sliders were to die for. This is definitely my new go-to place for my friends and I to have a good time and a delicious meal.